Learning to play the piano | 10 tips for beginners

1. Choose an instrument

Choosing a piano is not easy. Every piano is different. Whether you choose an acoustic or a digital piano, a high-quality instrument can give you a lot of inspiration and encourage you to play. It also contributes to the further development of your piano playing and will enhance your learning experience, enjoyment and success. It is important to take time, inform yourself well and invest in an instrument that suits you and your needs and wishes.

Read more about choosing an instrument in this blog post.

2. Take piano lessons, in real life or online

Piano lessons with a teacher and online lessons or teaching methods each have their own advantages. According to your own preferences, needs and circumstances, you can make a choice.

Piano lessons with a teacher have the great advantage that you get personal feedback every lesson. Your teacher guides you through the learning process and adapts his lessons to your specific needs and skill level, which is very useful for beginners. You can also ask questions and thus expand your knowledge. If you take lessons on a regular basis, this can also motivate you to practice enough.

In turn, online music lessons or self-study has the advantage of giving you more flexibility. You can practice and take lessons when it suits you best. There are numerous online resources, ranging from video lessons to interactive apps and courses, suitable for different learning styles and music styles.

3. Learning music theory: yes or no?

Do you need solfège to learn to play the piano? No. But can it help you? Absolutely! If you can read notes, it will help you understand music better. You will also have much more choice in finding the music you really like to play. There are plenty of databases and websites that offer sheet music in standard notation for free or a small payment, from pop music to classical music! So you can easily get started yourself.

4. Take on the correct posture

Good posture is essential when playing the piano. Not only does it have a positive impact on the technical skill and expressiveness of the music, but it also contributes to the pianist's comfort and health. Proper posture reduces physical tension and helps prevent injuries.

It is a fundamental aspect that every pianist, beginner or advanced, should pay attention to in order to improve their playing. You teacher will certainly be able to help you with this and give the right advice.

5. Practice regularly

Practice makes perfect! Regular practice will help you develop your technique, musicality and coordination between your left and right hands faster. It helps building physical stamina and prevents skill loss, allowing you to enjoy the pleasure of making music more.

Practising for 20 minutes every day works better than practising for an hour and a half once a week. Regularity is the key to learning to play the piano well!

6. Use a metronome

Playing the piano fluently is often one of the biggest challenges for a beginning (and even advanced) pianist. You might recognise it, automatically slowing down when playing difficult passages and your left and right hands not moving equally fast across your piano keyboard.

A metronome is a device that tells you a tempo based on taps. Besides traditional mechanical metronomes, there are also electronic devices and apps for on a smartphone or tablet. In digital pianos, there is always a metronome built in. Using a metronome while practising gives you a set rhythm you can stick to. This will prevent you from changing tempo too much in a piece of music. You can practise the piece slowly first with the metronome and then gradually increase your tempo.

7. Be patient

Learning to play the piano is a gradual process and patience is your best friend on this musical journey. You cannot expect to become the most virtuoso musician after a few months. Getting frustrated when something doesn't work out is something we all know, but it doesn't help us move forward.

A step-by-step plan with achievable goals can help you. If you are taught by a teacher, he or she will draw up the plan with you. Making mistakes is also part of the whole learning process. Above all, remember that you do make progress with each practice session, even though you may not always feel that way.

8. Listen to piano and go to concerts

Playing the piano is not just about making music yourself. As a (beginning) pianist, it is beneficial to listen to music a lot and also attend concerts. Music gives you inspiration, improves your own playing and helps you discover new interpretations.

Listening to others also has a positive effect on your own motivation and strengthens your emotional connection to music. So there are only benefits!

9. Play piano for others

Would you like to play the music you have practised for so long to friends and family? That's a good idea!

The more you play for others, the less nervous you will be at your next concert. Also, you will get a lot of warmth and enthusiasm from your audience which will give you even more motivation to practise piano. So take part in class concerts from time to time if you take lessons in a music school and enchant your friends and family with the music you bring.

10. Have your piano serviced

To keep your piano in top condition, first of all, it is important to play the instrument enough. This will keep all the parts moving.

In addition, if you have an acoustic piano, it is important to have your instrument tuned annually. A piano becomes detuned due to temperature changes, changes in humidity and sunlight. This can be taken into account which will make your instrument less likely to detune, but the instrument will not maintain its tuning either way. Tuning the instrument not only makes the piano sound beautiful again, but it is also a prerequisite for maintaining its quality at the same time.